WHO WE ARE

Dr Alan Auld, who was formerly Chief Design Engineer for Cementation Mining Ltd, was a co-founder in 1989 of the original company I W Farmer & Partners Ltd which became Alan Auld Associates in 1998. Alan Auld Associates Ltd has recently been superseded by Alan Auld Group Ltd which comprises of five operating companies: – Alan Auld Engineering, Alan Auld Commercial, Alan Auld Construction Management, Alan Auld Canada and Phillips-Auld Engineering.

Initially the company concentrated on deep shaft and mine design based on Alan’s particular field of expertise. Today this expertise continues to bring in high profile international work and the company has a number of on-going deep mine shaft design schemes currently on its books in the UK, as well as in Canada.

In the past 15 years the company has expanded and diversified into the civil tunnelling market to compliment and add to the established mining expertise. As a result, the company has steadily built a good reputation, together with an expanding workload, designing shafts and tunnels for the civil engineering market. Prominent in the field of underground access design in superficial deposits and rock, the Alan Auld Group has designed many shafts and tunnels in the UK and abroad across a full spectrum of diameters and depths.

In parallel with the above, there is a specialism for the design of underground and surface temporary works. Alan Auld Group Ltd is one of the few companies able to provide a comprehensive temporary works design service covering both surface and underground works. This includes planning, methodology and construction sequencing. In addition we are also expert in the field of ground control techniques, including grouting and ground freezing.

Alan Auld Group Ltd is able to combine many years of practical experience with advanced methodologies. Many of our staff have spent much of their careers working for contractors, and have been involved in the construction of similar structures to those that we now design. This means that we often approach problems from a contractor’s perspective and are able to work to contractor’s time scales. This is especially valued in the field of temporary works.

We now operate with a core team of around 75 permanent employees with different specialities, but we can also bring the expertise of a larger team of other associates who work with us when necessary for the success of a project.

Alan Auld Group carries out work for most of the contractors who are active in the field of underground construction and deep excavation works. Much of this type of work is associated with the construction of new underground railway stations and utility infrastructure, as well as with the temporary works necessary to divert and protect utilities during the construction of major underground projects.

We have particular expertise in designing the traditional type of temporary works required for the construction of underground chambers for the London Underground. These are usually constructed by hand mining techniques in a sequential manner and temporarily supported using steel and timber, although we also work in other materials and techniques including shotcrete. We have carried out many schemes around London and other locations where these techniques have had to be utilised, usually due to access restrictions. Further to this we have designed extensive propping of structures above and below ground.

In addition to the above we design contractor’s site setups and mechanical handling systems (including mucking and lining erection), temporary site working set up and other temporary structures. We can also prepare tender submissions to assist the contractor in a successful bid.